Italian meatball subs
FoodFood fit for Super Bowl Sunday

Italian meatball subs

Serve these on your favorite hoagie rolls or Italian bread, and if you’re feeling daring, try some vegan provolone.

Italian meatball sub (Photo by Jessica Grann)
Italian meatball sub (Photo by Jessica Grann)

I wanted to publish a fun recipe in time for Super Bowl Sunday, and meatball subs (also known as hoagies to Pittsburgh natives) are the perfect dish to serve at home or to take to a tailgate.

I’ve never seen a disappointed face when I show up with a pot of my meatballs. These are simple to make and you can transfer the meatballs and sauce to a crock pot to keep them warm throughout the game. This is my go-to Italian meatball recipe and makes between 24-30 meatballs, serving 6-8.

Instead of browning or baking, you drop the meatballs into boiling sauce to cook, which yields a beautifully soft meatball. Serve these on your favorite hoagie rolls or Italian bread, and if you’re feeling daring, try some vegan provolone to get the “authentic” hoagie vibe. I use jarred marinara sauce to make life easier.

You can freeze additional meatballs for later, and mix any extra sauce with pasta.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs
5 tablespoons water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup finely diced onion
3-4 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, or 2 teaspoons dry parsley
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
3 24-ounce jars of marinara sauce
3-4 8-ounce cups of water

Optional:
½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, for heat
Vegan provolone “cheese” slices

Use seasoned bread crumbs for this recipe because they have a lot of flavor without adding extra herbs and spices. Measure the breadcrumbs into a small bowl and mix in 5-6 tablespoons of water. Allow this mixture to rest for 15 minutes to soften before preparing the meatball mixture. The breadcrumbs may still look a little sandy even after soaking in the water.

Put the ground meat into a large mixing bowl and gently break it up with your fingers, leaving a well in the middle of the bowl.

Add the lightly beaten eggs to the well, followed by the finely diced onion, minced garlic, salt, herbs and spices. If you like a bit of heat, add the red pepper flakes.

Gently mix all ingredients with your hands, being careful not to overmix it. You can make the meatball mixture a few hours ahead of time if that’s helpful — just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to form the meatballs.

When you’re ready to cook the meatballs, add the jarred sauce to a soup pot. I add about 1 cup of fresh water to each of the empty jars, then put the lid on and give them a good shake to release any sauce from the edges and bottom of the jar. This helps the sauce go a bit further and the meatballs cook better when the sauce is a bit thinner. Pour this liquid into the pot with the sauce. Start with 24 ounces of water; you can add a little more if necessary.

Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Tomato sauce can scorch, so watch the pot while you’re cooking.

Form the meatballs all at once, using about 3 tablespoons of mixture per meatball. Roll them into balls and wait until the sauce is boiling before adding the meatballs one at a time to the pot. If any are peeking out from the top of the sauce, use a spoon to gently move the meatballs around.
If necessary, add another cup of water to the pot so the meatballs are fully submerged.

It will take about 5 minutes for the sauce to start to boil again. Once boiling, cover the pot with a well-fitted lid and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the meatballs are 165 F in the center.

You can serve these immediately or transfer them to a crockpot, using the warm setting so that they’re ready to serve when you are. You can also cool these completely and refrigerate them overnight — just warm them over a low temperature so that the meatballs don’t overcook or break apart.

If you’re craving an authentic tasting meatball sub, add some vegan cheese to the meatballs. To be clear, vegan cheese doesn’t taste exactly like real cheese, but it’s a good option if you’re craving it. I don’t like to eat cold vegan cheese, but if it’s warmed up and gets a little melty, it can be a game changer. The best way to warm it for a meatball sub is to prepare your hoagie rolls and fill them with meatballs before laying them out on a baking sheet. Keep the top of the roll or bread open and to the side, lay a slice over the meatballs and pop the tray into a 400 F oven for a few minutes, or until the vegan cheese looks like it’s starting to melt. Serve immediately.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

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